Marcus Semien’s walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning proved the difference as the Texas Rangers stayed hot with a 6-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday in the middle game of a three-game interleague series in Arlington, Texas.
Semien’s hit off the Braves’ Enyel De Los Santos (3-3) drove home Josh Smith from second base and came after De Los Santos, Atlanta’s sixth pitcher of the day, intentionally walked Corey Seager.
Shawn Armstrong (4-3) was the beneficiary of Semien’s game-winner after a wild ninth inning in which both teams scored a run.
Michael Harris II tripled and trotted home on Sean Murphy’s one-out sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth for Atlanta before the Rangers’ Jonah Heim countered with a double to bring in pinch runner Sam Haggerty and send the game to extra innings.
The Rangers have won five straight games and seven of eight since the All-Star break, while Atlanta has dropped four contests in a row.
The Braves’ loss ruined a splendid showing from Harris, who had a solo home run, a double and two triples, accounting for four of Atlanta’s eight hits. Josh Jung had two hits for the Rangers, while Adolis Garcia had a pair of RBIs.
The Braves got on the board in the first when Ozzie Albies singled to right field to drive home Jurickson Profar, who had walked to open the game. Atlanta added to its lead in the second as Harris tripled with one out and scored on Profar’s two-out single to center.
Texas responded in the bottom of the second. Garcia walked to open the frame and scored on a Evan Carter‘s triple to right field. Jung then came through with a two-out single to left to plate Carter and tie the game at 2.
The Rangers maintained the momentum, taking the lead in the third inning when Garcia’s single to center pushed across Seager, who had singled, and Semien, who was hit on the ear flap of his helmet by Grant Holmes’ fastball.
Harris’ ground-rule double in the fourth brought home Albies — who had walked and stole second base — and trimmed the Braves’ deficit to one run. Harris then tied the game in the sixth with a solo home run to center off Rangers reliever Jon Gray.
That set the stage for the wild ninth inning and Semien’s heroics in the 10th.
–Field Level Media
